It`s Not Just The Economy, Stupid

It really was the economy that got George Bush booted and Bill Clinton elected to the presidency.

But it`s one thing to get elected and something else to govern. And the president-elect and his aides are now learning a new and equally simple lesson: It`s not just the economy.

The day after his victory, Clinton was sticking to his old message. ``I`m going to focus on the economy like a laser,`` he vowed. ``Foreign policy in large measure will come into play as it affects the economy.``

But by week`s end, his advisers were putting out the word that he will quickly have to deal with all sorts of complex international problems-the fate of democracy in Russia, the Arab-Israeli peace talks, the war in the Balkans and the ongoing standoff with Saddam Hussein. These, we were informed, are bound to slow the effort to revive the economy.

No doubt the change of tune has more than one motive. One is to dampen the hopes that were raised by Clinton`s expansive campaign rhetoric. For all his attacks on President Bush`s handling of domestic affairs, Clinton is too smart to think the economy can be turned around like a Corvette.

He needs to coax some patience out of an electorate that is already sick to death of sluggish growth and expecting miracle cures from the new team of doctors.

Another purpose is to reassure foreign leaders who may take too seriously Clinton`s announcement that global concerns are of interest only as they affect American prosperity.

This is not purely a matter of soothing fears among allies; it also aims at discouraging troublemakers who might suspect this is their hour of opportunity and take action that would further complicate the job of the next administration.

But it may also be that what looked simple from the standpoint of a brash challenger looks harder from the vantage point of a newly elected president preparing to take office. A focus on domestic matters is a lot easier at a time when foreign successes have made the world a vastly safer place for the United States.

If the Cold War were still raging, or if Saddam Hussein were sitting in Kuwait City with nuclear weapons, or if Israel and Syria were at the brink of war, or if U.S. soldiers were dying in Bosnia, Americans would be a bit less free to focus exclusively on their pocketbooks.

By his skillful handling of the end of the Cold War and the first war of the post-Cold War era, George Bush helped make it possible for Americans to take world peace for granted. In Bill Clinton`s inner circle, at least, it isn`t being taken for granted anymore.